You're Kinda a Bitch

3 am;

I'm in the kitchen getting a snack and then I'm going to watch a movie in the living room. It's been a long day. I just want to be in my house when it's not awkward. Where I don't have to share my space. I can just sit and relax and pretend it is just my mom and I here tonight. That's when I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Please just be my mom.

"Hey Jessie," I say once she reaches the bottom.

"You're kinda a bitch" She says. That's a great way to start a conversation.

"What? How?" I ask.

"You barely talked to Levi and me all day. Then you bring over your boyfriend. Our parents left us here to bond not so you can sit in your room doing who knows what with your boyfriend" She says. I hate how she said our parents. It's my mom and her dad. He is not my parent.

"First, they are not our parents. It is your dad and my mom. Second, I didn't do anything with my boyfriend but watch TV and talk. Third, I guess I could try and talk to you more" I say.

She gives me a little bit of a dirty look. "Thank you," She says. It didn't sound sincere.

"Did you want anything?" I say, pointing towards the kitchen. "Or did you just come down here to tell me I'm a bitch?" I ask

"I was coming down to get water. I couldn't sleep. First night in an unfamiliar place is always weird" She says.

"Fair enough," I say. I go over to the fridge and hand her a water bottle.

"Thanks," She says. She seemed a little surprised that I grabbed it for her.

"No problem. Wanna sit?" I ask motioning towards the couch.

"Sure"

"Can we talk about that night?" She asks. She is sitting right across from me. I finally get to sit on my couch. It would be nicer if she weren't here but I'm trying to be a good host after she called me a bitch. She is facing the TV with her feet up on the coffee table. Mom would kill her if she saw that. I had my feet up on the couch in front of me with my back on the armrest, facing her.

"I guess," I say. I would rather talk about anything but that night. I hate that she was a part of me finding out about the divorce. I guess she always was but being the mysterious stranger that talks to me afterward and being the daughter of the other lover is too much.

"That night you seemed pretty upset." She starts. I cut her off.

"I was upset," I say.

"Don't interrupt me" She puts her pointer finger up.

"Sorry," I say.

"What happened that day?" She asks

"I found out my mom had been cheating on my dad with your dad and that my parents were getting a divorce," I say.

"My dad was dating your mom while she was married?" She asks.

"Yeah," I say. How does she not know that? Maybe she wasn't stalking me on the beach that night.

"I didn't know," She says. "If I were you I would be pissed that he is here right now."

"Oh, I am." It was quiet for a couple of seconds. "What about you? Where's yours and Levi's mom?" I ask.

"Levi and I have different moms" She starts and I cut her off.

"You're only half-siblings?" I ask. I genuinely could not tell.

"There's no difference. Anyway, my parents were never married. I don't really know why they split up. It happened when I was an infant so I don't remember it. What I can tell you though is my mom is a recovering alcoholic so I'm sure that had something to do with it. She wasn't always sober so when I was five I got sent to live with my dad" I say.

"What about Levi?" I ask.

"He wasn't born yet. My dad and his girlfriend at the time had him a year after I moved in with them" She says. All I am hearing is her dad can't keep a woman so he won't be dating my mom for much longer. Let's hope it's before the summer ends so they go home earlier.

"Why did they break up?" I ask.

"They didn't. She died in a car accident when Levi was like three months old" She says.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"Yeah me too." She says. It was quiet again.

"Can we get real deep and personal for a second?" She asks. She's been getting deep and personal this entire time. I've known her for 12 hours I don't know why she's trauma dumping on me.

"If you want, " I say.

"So my mom was drinking and driving nothing too out of the ordinary for her honestly. I was six years old and in the car with her. She went through a red light and ended up hitting a car. That just so happened to be my dad's car. My dad was fine for the most part. He had to go to the hospital though to be checked out. His girlfriend was killed and pronounced dead at the scene. Levi was in critical condition but ended up fine. I was fine. Nothing more than a bloody nose. They still made me go to the hospital. My parents were in a custody battle at the time. My mom still wanted custody of me even though I was already sent to live with my dad. Anyway, my mom was arrested and that cleared the whole thing up real quick" She says.

I retract all my opinions from before. Homewrecker boyfriend hasn't had it easy. I should probably learn his name. I can't show that I feel the slightest bit of sympathy though.

"So your mom killed Levi's mom. That's wild." I say. She just shrugs her shoulders. "Ok let's lighten things up a little bit. Do you have a boyfriend?" I ask.

"Nope not into boys," She says.

"So what are you into? Every teenage girl needs some random boy to crush on" I ask.

"What if I have random girls to crush on" She says.

"Oh," I say. I was not expecting that.

"Yeah," She says. It was quiet again. I need to stop asking her questions I keep getting myself into awkward situations.

"Just out of curiosity, does your dad know?" I ask.

"No" It was quiet again.

"I don't mean to seem like I'm kicking you out or anything. I'm just curious. When do you go home?" I ask.

"I have to leave in a couple of weeks to go back to New York to be with my mom. I come back in mid-July. After that, the end of August" She says.

"But isn't your mom in jail?" I ask. I really need to stop with the questions. That sounded so fucked up.

"She was. She got out two years ago. She's just on parole now" She says.

"Got it," I say.

"When's your birthday?" She asks.

"October 26th," I say.

"Oh, so a Scorpio. Duly noted" she says

"I don't believe in zodiacs," I say.

"Maybe you should. You act like a Scorpio" She says.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. You're not gonna ask me my birthday?"

"Fine. Jessie, when's your birthday?" I ask

"June 30th. That makes me a cancer so we're compatible" She says.

"I begged to differ," I say. "So you just turned 16?" I ask.

"Yep two days ago," She says.

"Ha, I'm older," I say teasing her.

"I'm taller and a lot more mature," She says.

"The first half of that was true," I say.

"Wait how are you older? Your birthday isn't until October."

"I turn seventeen in October," I say.

"Oh." It was quiet again.

"Well I'm tired and I want to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning" She says and stands up.

"Goodnight," I say.

"Goodnight," She says and goes inside.

{I changed Jessie's name from June about an hour before I posted the first part. I just need this line to see the light of day.

"Fine. June, when's your birthday, and you better not say it's in June." I say

"Oh, it is. June 30th. I barely made the cut. But that makes me a cancer so we're compatible"}